Nevada County picayune., 1887-12-21

upon all hp wears and upon all he
 nsrS alid owns eXrcpt the Increase
 of his tiorkS and herds and sue.
 things as In his hnSb,lnlry produ-
 crs from the soil IS invited tu aid
 m maintaining the present situa-
 tlon. and he Is told that high lar.
 if duty on imported wool is nrcee
 Sary for the benefit of those wI,O
 have sheep to shear, in order that
 the price of their wool may be in
 creased. They, of course, are not
 reminded that the farmer who has
 no sheep is by this scheme oblig-
 ed, in his purchases of clothing and woolen goods, to pay tribute
 to his fellow-iaImer, as we'll as to
 the manufacturer aud the mcr-
 chant; nor is any mention made oi
 the fact that the sheep owners
 themselves and their household
 lfsHSt wear clothing and use other articles manufactured from the
 wool they sell at .ariff prices, and
 thus as consumers must return
 their share of this increased price to the tradesman.
 1 think it may be fairly assumed
 that large propor,lon Of the sheep
 owned by the farmers throughout the country are found in sa,ai
 hocKs numbering from twenty i've to fifty. The duty on he grade Oi imported wool which thesc sheep yield is ten cents each pound it oi. the value of 20 cents or less, and
 l2 cents if on the value ot more than 30 cents. If the liberal esti
 mate of six pounds be allowed tor each fleece, the duty thereon 60 or 72 cents, and this must be taken as utmost enhancement of the price to the farmer by reason of this duty. Eighteen dollars would thus represent the increased price of wool from 20 sheep, and S36 that from the wool off 90 sheep; and at present values, this addition would amount to about onethird of it's price. If upon tue sale the farmer receives this or a less tariff profit the wool leaves his hands charged with precisely that sum, which in all it's changes will adhere to 1t until 1t reaches the consumer. When manutaci- ured into cloth aud other gnol. and 0ther material for use the cost Is not only increased to the extent of tho farmers tariff profit but further sum has been added for the benefit of manufacturer under tine operation of the tariff laws. In the meantime the day arrives when the farmer finds 1t necessary to purchase woolen goods and mate rial to clOthe himself and family for the winter. When he faces the tradesman for that purpose he dis covers he is obliged not only to return in the way of increased pri- ces his tariff profit on wool he suld, and which then perhaps lie before him in manufactured form. but that he must add a consider;i- ble 9um thereto to meet further increase of cost caused by tariff duty on the manufacture. Thus in the end he is aroused 10 the fact he has paid upon moderate purchase as a result of the tariff scheme which, when he sold his wool, seemed so profitable an ii- crease in price more than sufficient to sweep away all tariff profit, he received upon the waol he pro- duced and sold Wacn t,,e i.um. Der of farmers engaged m wool raising as compared with all the farmers in the country, and the small propor- ton they bear to our population Is considered. when it is made appa- rent that in the case of a large part of those who own sheep the benefit of the present tariff upon wool Is illusory, and above all when it must be conceded that the increase Of the cost of living caus- ed by such tariff becomes "A burden upon those with moderate means. anu the poor, the employed and unemployed, the sick and the well, and the young and the old. ana that it constitutes. d tax which with relentless grasp is fastened upon the clothing of every man, woman and child in the laud; rcas- Ons are suggested why the renOv- al or reduction of this duty should be included in a revision of our tariff laws. In speaking oi the in- creased cost to the consumer ot our home manufacture, resulting from duty laid upon imported ar. ticles of the same description, the fact is not overlooked that compe- tition among our domestic produc- CTS sometimes has the effect of keeping the price of their pro lucts below the highest limit aliuwed bA such duty. But it is notorious this competition is too often stran. gled by combinations quite preva- lent at this time, and frequently called trusts, which have for their object the regulation of the price of commodities made and sold by members of the combination. Tine people can hardly hope for any consideration in the operation of these selfish schemes. If, how. ever, in the absence of such com biuation a healthy and free c0mpe. tition reduces the price off any par ticular dutiable article ofhome pro-